


Day 8: Cold December Night

by Hapkido9061



Series: 25 Cliché Days of Christmas [8]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Awkward Tension, Christmas, Christmas Party, KaiSoo - Freeform, Light Angst, M/M, Past Jung Soojung | Krystal/Kim Jongin | Kai, Slow Burn, as slow as a oneshot can be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 10:53:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hapkido9061/pseuds/Hapkido9061
Summary: “My sister’s making me come to her friend Christmas party. Something about old high school friends wanting to reconnect or something. And Soojung will be there.”“Your psycho ex? And so you want me to…?”“Be my fiancé for the night.”Or...Where Kyungsoo poses as Jongin's fiancé for a Christmas party to avoid undesirable exes. But maybe, Jongin should have thought this out a bit more considering just how much he likes Kyungsoo.





	Day 8: Cold December Night

**Author's Note:**

> This as angst-y as I get for Christmas and it's more unresolved feelings than anything else! Worry not, of course cute and happy Kaisoo is endgame :P

“Please Soo! Please! It’s in three days and I’ve got nothing!”

“No.”

“Please!”

“No.”

“Please?” Jongin tried one more time, putting on his best puppy dog eyes. Kyungsoo scoffed, weakly pushing his face away. At being pushed, Jongin looked saddened immensely. He knew. That bastard _knew_ Kyungsoo was helpless when it came to Jongin being sad. “don’t make me be alone for Christmas Eve…”

“What’s it for again?” Kyungsoo asked as he sighed into his cup of coffee.

Jongin’s eyes lit up. He didn’t respond with a no- that meant that he was going to agree. Jongin knew how to speak Kyungsoo. They had been best friends since freshman year for a reason. “My sister’s making me come to her friend Christmas party. Something about old high school friends wanting to reconnect or something. And Soojung will be there.”

“Your psycho ex?” Jongin gave a noise of confirmation. “And so you want me to…?”

“Be my fiancé for the night.” Jongin said with a nod of his head. Kyungsoo let out a face at the suggestion. It wasn’t disgusted, no, but Jongin thought that still wasn’t happy at the proposal. “I just don’t want to see her by myself… And I know how successful she is and I’m just me. I just… I just want something good to show off.”

Jongin finished quietly, talking more into his mug of hot chocolate rather than to Kyungsoo. The other man blinked as he sat still in his seat.

“So you think that I’m something to show off?”

“Not like… not like an object! But you’re super smart and actually know where you’re going with life and are super cute in sweaters and I, yeah…” Jongin trailed off awkwardly again. “Sorry, I didn’t really think this through. Just forget about the whole thing.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Wait, really?!” Jongin perked up in his seat. Kyungsoo nodded with his cheeks dusted in red. He could only offer his sweetest smile, relief rushing through his body as he knew Kyungsoo would be with him for the night. Not that he minded his sister’s friends but socializing for long periods of time always made him uncomfortable. And Soojung was going to be there. He had to show Soojung that she shouldn’t have been such a bitch, and this was the way that Jongin thought would work.

Jongin finished giving Kyungsoo the details, promising to even pick him up. They should arrive to the party together if they were to pose as true fiancés. Not that Jongin was going to mind. As he watched Kyungsoo leave the coffee shop to get back to his work, Jongin bit his tongue. He didn’t have to know that Jongin wanted this also just to pretend to be his fiancé, right?

Nothing bad will happen. Of this, Jongin was sure.

. . .

The light twinkled on the outside of Jungah’s home. It was a cookie cutter, two-story home in the middle of many others looking just like it. Even if it did look exactly the same as the rest, this one held some type of unidentifiable aura of fear and dread. Kyungsoo must have noticed his nerves from the passenger seat; he reached out a hand and ran his fingers over the back of Jongin’s knuckles. He offered a smile from behind his scarf.

“We don’t have to go if you don’t want. Hell, I’m just along for the ride,” Kyungsoo joked. His hand stilled on Jongin’s but didn’t move away. Kyungsoo waited for an answer; Jongin finally gave one after a drawn out breath.

“No, no, we should go in. It’s just- Jungah always sided with Soojung over me even if she was the one who cheated. I want to show I have good stuff in my life, maybe make her regret cheating on me with that rich douchebag.”

It was dark, and without the Christmas lights, Jongin might have missed Kyungsoo biting his lip. “Do you want to win her back by doing this?”

“Who, Soojung?” Jongin asked. “God, no. Maybe make her jealous? After all, no way is her new boyfriend as cute as you.” Jongin laughed shyly, rubbing the back of his neck with his gloved hand. Before Kyungsoo could say anything in response, Jongin got out of the car and into the chilly air. “Ready?”

Kyungsoo nodded, stepping out onto the snow. Jongin linked arms with him, not looking down to the shorter man’s face to see his reaction. They made their way on the sidewalk up to her front door. Jongin opened it without knocking; there were enough cars in the driveway and along the side of the street that no one would even notice them entering.

Inside the house, the thick scent of peppermint and alcohol hit Jongin. He wrinkled his nose at the combination of smells as he toes his shoes off by the front door. Kyungsoo did the same. Underneath Jongin’s coat was a fitting turtleneck that Kyungsoo assured him look fine no matter how much he freaked out about it. He only wanted to make a good impression, but in all honesty, Kyungsoo’s opinion was the one that mattered the most to him.

The farther into the house they went, the stronger the smell of pine and people. The mistletoe hanging from a doorway had a line of couples waiting to pass under it. Jongin latched onto Kyungsoo’s hand and kept their fingers intertwined as his sister caught his eye from across the room. Jungah clapped one of her friends on the back with boisterous laughter as she came over to Jongin hiding out by the Christmas tree.

“Nini! I didn’t think you were going to make it this year,” she said, taking a swig of the cocktail in her hand. Jongin cringed at how drunk she already was.

“Yeah… Soo wanted to meet everyone,” Jongin said in a rush, his excuse not going unnoticed by Kyungsoo. He gave a tight squeeze to Jongin’s hand before offering a kind smile to Jungah.

Soojung chose that moment to saunter up to Jungah’s side. She certainly didn’t forget to sashay her hips in front of Jongin. She ‘accidently’ bumped past him, letting her hand brush his ass.

“Oh Nini! I didn’t see you come in. It’s been so long,” she cooed, running a hand down his arm. Jongin shifted back awkwardly behind Kyungsoo at the contact. “Who’s this?” Soojung didn’t try to hide the disdain whatsoever in her voice.

“He’s my, um, fiancé.”

Jungah’s eyes widened. “You never told us you were even dating anyone! Do Mom and Dad know?”

“No,” Jongin said. He floundered for an explanation that would sound believable. Luckily for him, he had Kyungsoo. Ever loving, smart, witty Kyungsoo. “We, um..”

“My friends weren’t too accepting of us when we told them and so we decided to keep it a secret until it was definite. You know, the whole ring and vows,” Kyungsoo explained with ease. He even threw in a light chuckle, a hand wrapping around Jongin’s waist. Soojung looked as though she was ready to disagree, probably going off on how Jongin wasn’t gay, but an old friend from high school stepped in before she could get any further.

He pulled the couple away from the girls and back into a corner of the living room. Jongin wasn’t sure who it was, only that he was around Kyungsoo’s height. They were surrounded by people on every side, unable to be seen by the pair.

“God, Soojung got you too?”

Jongin turned to get a better look at who rescued them from one of the worst encounters of his life. “Minseok! Man, I haven’t seen you in ages!” Jongin went in for a quick hug, his hand returning to Kyungsoo’s the minute he let go. It was no more than a reflex at this point. A reflex that Minseok caught on to right away.

“It has been. God, what, five years? Never took you for the type to settle down so early,” Minseok commented. He took a swig of beer and sat back on the arm of the couch. If Jongin trusted Minseok as much as he appeared to, Kyungsoo was ready to spill the secret. It certainly must be difficult for Jongin to keep up the façade the entire night. But Jongin didn’t even hesitate to agree with the statement.

Minseok ended up having to leave early, checking the time on his phone every few minutes. Jongin finally coerced the reason out of him, finding out that his old friend had finally found someone as well. He never did get a name, though. Once Minseok was gone, Jongin found his nerves building back up. His backup security was gone, and Kyungsoo had disappeared to get another drink a few minutes ago.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jongin saw Soojung approaching him. She got closer by the second, Jongin’s back was against the wall with nowhere to run to. She stopped in front of him, leaning in close enough that he could smell the reek of booze on her breath.

“Y’know, it was all a test to see if you truly loved me. You were drifting away by the second, what else was I to do?”

Jongin scoffed. “Tell me? I don’t know. Not cheat on me with some bastard. It’s in the past now.”

“But I still love you, Jongin!” she cried, pushing herself closer to Jongin. “I can tell you don’t love that little whore of yours. Not like you loved me.”

“Don’t call him that!” Jongin shouted. His sudden outburst drew the attention of everyone around them. Their stares bore straight into his soul. Jongin had to leave. Now.

He escaped to the kitchen, finding Kyungsoo chatting with a few people he only vaguely recognized. Kyungsoo’s face grew concerned at how upset Jongin looked. He placed the drink down on the countertop and approached his ‘fiancé’. Jongin shook his head when Kyungsoo reached out to pat his shoulder.

Kyungsoo tilted his head towards the door, allowing Jongin to go through the few people first as he said his goodbyes. Jongin pulled on his shoes and coat, stepping out onto the front porch to wait for the shorter man. He came out a moment later, slipping his hand into Jongin’s to lead him out to the car.

They remained silent until they got to the car. Kyungsoo plucked the keys from Jongin’s hand and nudged him over to the passenger side. Anyone could see that he was much too shaken up to drive safely on the snowy roads. The car crunched on the snow as Kyungsoo pulled out of the neighborhood and onto the main street.

“It’s one of two things, I’m guessing,” Kyungsoo began. Jongin continued to stare out the window at the soft streetlamps. “Either too many people or that bitch. Maybe both.”

That earned a small smile from Jongin. He sighed, drawing pictures into the foggy window with a finger. “She was a big part of my life whether I wanted her to be or not. Soojung’s every bad memory and insecurity I’ve ever had rolled up into one person. I guess, just seeing her reminded me of that.” He paused. “I’m sorry, for dragging you to this stupid party. We shouldn’t have even gone in the first place.”

Kyungsoo didn’t say anything but reached over to rub a hand at the back of Jongin’s neck. He always had a bad habit of tensing up too much when he was stressed and giving himself headaches. And Kyungsoo knew just how to make that pain go away. “Don’t worry about it. I feel bad that you’re this upset during Christmas… Baekhyun’s gone if you want to come over. We might not have a fireplace, but I do have a smart TV with a fireplace app. I’ll even make homemade hot chocolate.”

“That sounds amazing,” Jongin said. He melted under Kyungsoo’s hand massaging his neck, letting out a sigh of contentment. “Have I ever told you that I love you?”

The hand on his neck stilled. But only for a moment- Kyungsoo went right back to the soft touches that he had been doing.

“I don’t think you have. But-”

“ ‘Cause I do love you Soo. A lot and not just like a friend and seeing Soojung brought up all these emotions, but they weren’t for her and God, this probably isn’t the right time to do this.”

“Jongin-”

“Sorry,” Jongin blurt out, trying to undo his seatbelt as he saw they were parked in front of Kyungsoo’s apartment complex. “Just forget-”

A pair of soft lips, not chapped even from the dryness of winter, cut him off. Jongin’s eyes widened in surprise before he let himself relax into the kiss. Kyungsoo pulled back first, his cheeks red.

“I love you, too, Nini. Stop telling me to forget things that I really don’t want to.”


End file.
